A Start
by Mihashi-Harumi-chan
Summary: An Alder oneshot. Alder wonders why his old friend has changed so much. The problem is that she doesn't seem to hate him and their history together. Will there be a change for them to become friends again? Or more...


Meditating when you're alone, and enjoying the silence you create by that, is very calming and somehow makes one feel strong and relaxed. But, you do still have to pay attention to your surroundings if you're the Champion of the Unova Region. So, in reality, your meditation, is just a daydream you wish to have until someone knocks on the door on the other end of the room to challenge you.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he heard a quiet knock on the door, followed by the sound of it opening with a creak. Footsteps echoed through the large room and Alder opened one eye to see a woman stand in the doorway. Her face held a serious expression, though it could hardly be seen due to the shadows that tried to hide it from his eyes. She was here to tell him a trainer had come to challenge him.

He just wondered why and how she had changed so much. The first time they had met, she had been a lady in need; and he had been the gentleman to help her. Back then, she had spirit and said her opinion; these days she was silent and only spoke when she was asked to. It was something Alder thought was a waste. He had liked her because of her fierce personality, and now that was gone. As if the woman he had known had left and been replaced with someone new.

The words she had spoken had never reached him, but Alder knew exactly what they were. She had said them too many times for him to ever forget. Soon a young trainer would walk in, challenge the champion and leave in great sadness. It's how his days went by – if he wasn't out training by himself. Such a drag, it was.

A boy walked in, not older than fifteen. He was serious and his eyes showed the same spirit as he longed to see in the eyes of the woman who was now standing in a dark corner. She was waiting for the match to start; he was waiting for her real self to return.

The boy introduced himself and as soon as Alder had done his speech, the Pokémon battle started. It didn't take Alder very long to defeat this boy, but he had to admit he adored the fighting spirit this guy had and how much he trusted and cared for his Pokémon. This was something every trainer should possess: love, spirit and friendship. That way, your Pokémon will become stronger and will do anything to please you.

Sighing, Alder got up from his usual spot and dusted his clothes off. He looked at the boy who was staring at his Pokéballs in shock and disbelief.

"You have fought well. You're strong, but not strong enough to defeat me. I admire your bond with your Pokémon though. It's something every trainer should have: a strong bond with their Pokémon. It's the only true way to become stronger. Now, go. Train your Pokémon, become even closer with them and come back to challenge me when you think you're ready." He smiled at the kid and watched him leave. His eyes then locked onto the dark shadow that was the woman who had walked in earlier. "Hey…" There was a short silence and Alder wondered what he wanted to say; he hadn't intended to speak at all. "How long has it been since you last took a day off?" He slowly made his way to the door, not taking his eyes off her by shadows hidden face as he walked. He could see her confusion. She never expected a question like this. "I thought so…" he opened the door and stepped outside. "You're off. Go home."

"But- sir!" Alder heard her say and as he walked down the stairs he could hear her footsteps do the same. "What if someone else shows up? What if something goes wrong? I need to-"

"Relax. That's what you need to do. Now, come on." He turned his head towards her and smiled. "I know how to help you relax." Again there was a confused look on her face, causing the champion to chuckle. This was more fun than he had thought it'd be. But, the real fun hadn't started yet. "Follow me." Was all he said before continuing his way down the long stairs.

After a while, they arrived at a place she remembered as their 'secret hide-out'. It was a small field somewhere on the west side of the mountain where they used to go to talk, train or just relax. She and Alder were the only ones who ever came here, simply because there were no other people aware of its existence.

"This is just evil…" She muttered. By coming here, she was reminded of something stupid she had said years ago. It had been the most embarrassing night of her life. She and Alder had sat here, drinking and enjoying their time off. It was the day that Alder had been asked by the Elite Four to take his position as Champion. And as his best friend, she had been proud of him and happy. So, as time had passed, and both Alder and she had become drunk, she had said the 'magical words': "Y'know… I love you."

She had laughed at her own words, until she woke up the next day and realized what she had said. Alder, then had just laughed with her and eventually fallen asleep due to drinking too much.

For her, it had been extremely awkward to see her friend again, especially since he had asked her to come work for him and guide the challengers to him. Fortunately for her, he didn't seem to remember a thing of that evening.

_I still love you._

That day, years ago, had been the day she had changed. Knowing that, even though he was drunk, he still couldn't give a normal response – whether it was an 'I love you too' or 'sorry, I just like you as a friend' – but instead just laughed at her, had hurt too much. She had completely changed after that day, because she knew that Alder thought of her as some kind of joke. Even if he never showed it directly.

_Even now when it's already over, I can't help myself looking for you._

"What are we doing here?" she asked looking him straight in the eyes. Alder could hear the slight annoyance in her voice.

"Don't you remember this place?" he asked, ignoring her annoyance and looking away from her. "We used to come here a lot. But since a couple of years ago you refused to come here." He turned back to her. "I just wonder why." He shook his head slightly and smiled. "I just want you to relax, though. I figured this place might help. Also," his voice became more serious. "I'm tired of your 'new' personality. You've changed so much – in a negative way. Why?"

Her annoyance became worse and anger build up inside her. Why could she possibly have changed? That idiot had no idea what he had done to make her change like this. Each time she saw him, she was reminded of her mistake. And now that he had brought her here, she felt as if this was another attempt to make her feel bad about herself.

"Oh, I don't know." She said sarcastically, her older self was taking over. She was mad, and if Alder continued being such an ass, she would crush him underneath a rock. "Maybe it's because of y-" The Unova Champion began laughing, cutting off her sentence within a second. As she looked at him with a glare, feeling the same she did years ago when Alder had laughed at her drunk confession.

Soon, Alder stopped laughing and ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, relax. I don't need an explanation from you. It's your life." But she didn't seem to be completely satisfied with those words. She figured that Alder knew he had done something bad, but he couldn't figure out what. But whatever it was, it had changed her.

Alder walked towards a bush and grabbed a bag he had hidden there. He opened it and took out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "How about we just ignore everything around us and relax here?" He asked, not waiting for her answer. Instead he just plopped onto the soft grass, opened the bottle of wine and poured the liquid into the glasses. He put the bottle down and held one of the glasses up. "Come on! Drink with me. Just one!"

She shook her head, not wanting to drink now. What stupid things would she say this time? She knew Alder never took no for an answer, though, so she sat down across from him, her back leaning against a tree. She took the glass from his hands and stared at the wine.

Alder drank his wine, all at once, before letting out a satisfied sigh. From the corner of his eye, he could see that she hadn't drank from her wine yet, that all she did was staring at it. "Come on, just one."

She looked up, removing a strand of hair as she tiled up her head and changed the direction of her eyes from the glass to the man she had loved yet hated for so long. His smile reminded her of the smiles he used to give her when they were still 'friends'. Inwardly sighing, she realized that he had never stopped smiling at her. Only she had.

Slowly she brought the glass closer to her mouth, taking one sip of the drink she had been given. She then put the glass down on the grass and flashed him a fake smile. "There, happy?"

Alder had expected a sarcastic remark, but instead it was more of a soft whisper. Though her smile was fake, it was a sign.

On the inside, it still hurt him that he hadn't been able to change her back to whom she used to be: his old 'friend', someone whom he was close with like siblings. Or maybe even closer.

Alder had tried his best throughout the years to figure out what he had done wrong to her, so he could fix it and hopefully she would be her old self then.

He had always known it was something he had done, but he hadn't been able to find out what it was. She had changed since a day, years ago, when they had gotten really drunk. So drunk, he couldn't remember much of it. He remembered her saying something, but forgot what it was. He had been too drunk to remember her exact words.

"Sure," he said. "it's a start."

Thinking back about that day, Alder frowned a little. He really couldn't remember what he had done wrong. But, hearing her tone change and seeing her try to smile, made him believe there was a chance that she could change. All he had to do was have some more faith, and try harder. It would take patience, but he was a patient man.

She grabbed the glass in her hand and took another sip, taking Alder back to reality. There was a small sparkle in her eyes, something he hadn't seen in a while, causing the man to smile slightly.

"_It's definitely a start." _


End file.
